This Changes Everything
by kiss of the year
Summary: After it had happened, everything changed completely. Things were never going to return to how they were, how they should have been. Where were they going to go from here? AU, multiple pairings, OCs. Please R & R
1. Invitation

**This Changes Everything**

**Summary:** After it had happened, everything changed completely. Things were never going to return to how they were, how they should have been. Where were they going to go from here?

**Warnings:** I don't really know what rating this story is going to go up to, so I have rated it high to be sure. At the moment, only slight swearing, but could change. This story is AU, with OC characters, major and minor. Multiple pairings. R & R will be greatly appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** Nothing from the world of Harry Potter belongs to me, obviously. I am just a fan of the books and films. Only original characters are mine, everything else belongs to J.K Rowling.

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**Chapter 1: Invitation**

_Dear Erin,_

_Sorry about the long wait, Mum and Dad have been keeping me extremely busy! So far they've dragged me around 10 of what could be the most boring villages in France! They won't tell me why either. But anyway, we've only just got back home._

_How have your holidays been? I know you were dreading that visit to your grandparents' house; I don't blame you! Hopefully they didn't embarrass you as much as that time with the frilly dress! Has your brother even stopped taking the piss out of you for that?_

_Well I have to go now, so maybe next time I write to you, it'll be slightly more interesting!_

_Ruby_

Ruby Knight sighed and laid the quill down on her desk. The rain outside came down in waves as she tied the parchment to her owl's foot. Then she stroked the bird slowly, whilst opening the window to let her out. She felt bad about making her go out in this weather but was desperate to talk to her friend. It was only three since the end of school, and Ruby was already dying of boredom.

Usually her parents made the holidays more exciting. She was always telling Erin about her different adventures. However, this year they had insisted on going to France for several weeks. What was so important about France? Ruby had been thinking this since the day they had left. To her knowledge, they had no connections to France: no relatives and no friends. She had given up trying to work out what was going on- it made her brain dance in confusion. She shook herself from her trance and closed the window.

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Ruby woke with a start. Artemis, her owl, was tapping the glass with her sharp beak. Ruby jumped up and rushed towards the window, tripping over her school books along the way. Gathering herself, she let Artemis in and quickly untied the parchment attached to her leg.

_Dear Rubz_

_**FRANCE!** Couldn't your parents think of anywhere else? Wow, I think I actually had a better summer than you for once!_

_We didn't go down to my grandparents; they cancelled at the last minute, thank God! So Dad and Leyla took us to Spain for two weeks, so I'm going back to Hogwarts with the best tan ever! Ced spent most of his time trying to get laid- he failed miserably. This was wonderful to watch, of course, me being the sadist that I am._

_I can't believe that it's not even halfway through the holidays. I love being at home, but it does get a bit tedious after a while._

_Guess what else? Dad said that you can come and stay for a couple of weeks! Leyla and he are going to be travelling for work, but the maid will still be here. It'll be a laugh, if you can come that is._

_Speak to you soon,_

_Erin_

Ruby grinned with excitement. She already knew what her parents' answer would be. They had been getting slightly irritated of her sulky face around the house. Of course, her mum would write to Erin's dad to check the arrangements, but she could overlook this embarrassment.

"Fun at last!" Ruby rushed down the stairs and into the living room.


	2. The Twins

**This Changes Everything**

**Summary:** After it had happened, everything changed completely. Things were never going to return to how they were, how they should have been. Where were they going to go from here?

**Warnings:** I don't really know what rating this story is going to go up to, so I have rated it high to be sure. At the moment, only slight swearing, but could change. This story is AU, with OC characters, major and minor. Multiple pairings. R & R will be greatly appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** Nothing from the world of Harry Potter belongs to me, obviously. I am just a fan of the books and films. Only original characters are mine, everything else belongs to J.K Rowling.

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**Chapter 2: The Twins**

Gordon Knight dragged the huge oak trunk down the stairs.

"Good lord Ruby, what on earth have you managed to fit in this time?" he exclaimed. Ruby laughed as she stood at the door, carrying several bags and Artmesis' cage in her hands. Ruby's mother, Elanor, flitted out of the kitchen, a worried look on her face.

"Now you're sure that Amos is happy for you to be staying?"

"Muum! For the fifteenth time, YES! I would hardly go if he wasn't! You need to stop worrying so much." Ruby rolled her eyes playfully.

"Well, I baked these for you three to share. Say thank you to Amos and for goodness sake, don't embarrass yourself!" Elanor handed her daughter a brown bag. Ruby peered inside and groaned.

"Gingerbread! That's for kids! How embarrassing…" Gordon let out a gasp, having finally managed to get the trunk out of the house.

"All set?" Ruby put down her luggage and threw her arms around her mum.

"Bye mum!" she called, picking up her bags and walking towards the open door.

"Have a lovely time! Be safe and don't talk to strangers on the train!"

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Ruby plonked herself into the window seat of the train carriage. She had half an hour to kill until she reached her destination. Erin and her family lived in a part of London that was occupied by witches and wizards. Muggles didn't know of its existence and hopefully never would. Ruby had chosen not to wear her robes. She only ever wore them at school or for special occasions. So if a Muggle had walked in right now, he wouldn't have found her conspicuous at all. She looked pretty ordinary, brown hairs, blue eyes, tan skin and normal body of that of a sixteen year old. This was both good and bad for her. Good because it meant that she could fit in anywhere, but being ordinary looking isn't enough to attract the guys .I am only a girl after all, she thought.

The shuddering of the train woke Ruby from her nap. Startled, she peered out the window and dashed to the door of the train.

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"RUBY!" A tallish, brunette teenager came hurtling towards her at full speed. Ruby squeaked as she was enfolded by two arms, forcing the air out of her lungs, "You're late! I thought you weren't coming!"

"Erin, it's 12:01. I'm hardly late." She pulled a stupid face at her friend and the two of them made their way out of the station, "Tell me EVERYTHING about your holiday! I need to know that at least somebody had a good time!"

"It surely wasn't that bad!" Erin gasped in mock horror.

"**IT WAS!**" The two witches cackled with laughter as they strolled along.

"Button it you two. Sounds like a pair of hags coming out of the station!" An even taller boy with dirty blond hair and piercing grey eyes mocked them. He hugged Ruby hello, before Erin punched him playfully on the arm.

"Give it a rest Ced, you sound like granddad! Are you sure we're twins?" Her brother grinned devilishly.

"Unluckily for me, yes." This earned him another whack on the arm. Ruby stood by, watching the two siblings bicker good- heartedly.

"If you weren't related to me, I would've turned you into a cave troll by now!" She heard Cedric cry.

"Hey, isn't that a bit advanced for you?" Ruby piped up, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips. Cedric spluttered in shock.

"Two against one! I'm not going to win now…" he stomped ahead, pretending to sulk. This set the two girls laughing. They slowed their pace and Ruby turned to Erin.

"So, what's happening between you and Dominic then?" Dominic King was a dark, brooding boy in their year, who was friendly with Cedric. Erin had started dating him a couple of weeks before the end of school.

"I dunno really, he's starting to bug me now. Every time Ced gets a letter from him, it's always "tell Erin this" or "tell Erin that". I suppose that's the downside of dating your brother's friend." She grimaced, "Don't you ever go out with Cedric! That would be WAY too weird!"

"But I find it **so** sexy the way he snores in the night!" she joked, "I really wouldn't want to. I know too much about him, but I'm sure someone would be willing to take my place." It was a known fact that practically every girl in Hogwarts had lusted after Cedric at some point in their school lives. Erin couldn't really blame them. He wasn't exactly ugly to look at, but she assumed things were different when he wasn't your best friend's twin. To her he was more like a brother than potential boyfriend material, "Besides, you know who I've got my eye on." Erin gazed at her friend.

"I really thought you'd have forgotten that bloody Alex guy!" she laughed, "You only ever spoke to him once, in Herbology. It's hardly the foundations for a stable relationship!" Both girls suddenly stopped talking as Cedric sidled up to them, appearing to have got bored of being sulky. He was staring curiously at them.

"What was that?" He questioned. Erin went to open her mouth, but Ruby shot her a look.

"Oh, nothing…" said Ruby nonchalantly.

"Well, I'll just have to assume that you were proclaiming your undying love for me to my sister." He smirked. Ruby elbowed him.

"I'll let you keep on believing that. I know that your ego must be deflated after your… escapades in Spain." Cedric glared at Erin.

"You…you…" He threw his hands in the air, "Is there anything you haven't told her about me!"

"Only how you used to run around naked in the garden when you was a baby…" Erin looked delighted as Cedric turned a bright shade of crimson.

"You horrible little rat!" He muttered, reaching out to push her. Erin jumped out of the way and began running up the road. Cedric zoomed after her, leaving Ruby leisurely pushing her luggage after the twins.

Erin screamed as Cedric caught up with her and hoisted her over his shoulder.

"Let me go!"

"No."

"CEDRIC!"

"Yes?"

"PUT ME DOWN!"

"No."

"Please!" Cedric stopped walking and waited until Ruby had reached his side.

"What do you think Ruby?" His eyes glittered with laughter.

"Nah."

"TRAITOR!" Erin crowed.

"You lot are making such a racket! I could hear you from the end of the street!" Amos Diggory, Erin and Cedric's dad, was standing at the doorway of the house. He roared with laughter when he saw Erin slung on her brother's shoulder, "Surely she didn't make you carry her!" Cedric put Erin back on her feet and groaned audibly.

"You're heavier than you used to be 'Rin!" he complained, earning himself a sharp kick in the shins.

"No, you're just weaker." She retorted.

The two men helped Ruby to take her things off of the trolley and into the hallway. A warm, pleasant scent was working its way through the house. Ruby gazed around her surroundings. The Diggory house was quite large and comfortable. To her it was like a second home. It held many memories as she had spent a large portion of her life growing up here.

Amos Diggory and her father had been working together in the Ministry of Magic for around 20 years. As a consequence, the men and their two families became very good friends and would often meet up at special occasions.

Erin and Cedric's mother was a Muggle and had disapproved of magic. She taught her two children how to live "normally", but their starting at Hogwarts had proved to be the final straw. Shortly after their first year had begun, their mother upped and left without warning. There was no address to write to, no phone number to call. The only way that they could keep in touch with her was through their grandparents. They were also oblivious to the fact that their grandchildren had magical talents.

After a couple of years, Amos Diggory had remarried. Leyla Touchston also worked in the Ministry and had moved into the family home. As their father had expected, Erin and Cedric had both been incredibly difficult at first, but eventually they all settled into a routine. However, the two had always called their stepmum by her first name. Nobody at school knew about Erin's real mother. It would have caused a lot of problems for her and her brother. Erin wasn't ashamed, but it seemed too much hassle for everyone to know, so she had never really mentioned her mother at school. Ruby often wondered what Erin_ really_ felt about her whole situation.

"How have you been this summer Ruby?" Amos inquired.

"Fine thank you, Mr Diggory. And thank you for inviting me to stay here. My mother asked me to ask you again." Amos chuckled.

"When you get in touch with her, tell her that it's an absolute pleasure. Leyla and I won't be here for most of the time, I am sorry to say. But Margaret will be around, so you should be perfectly safe. Dear me, is that the time? I really must be going! LEYLA, are you coming!" He shouted up the stairs.

"I'll be down in a minute! Go start the car!" a bodiless voice replied. Amos kissed his daughter and hugged Cedric. With a final wave to the three of them, he walked out the door. Leyla came stumbling down the stairs, pulling on a jacket whilst trying to tie her hair back.

"See you kids!" she waved and followed after her husband. The trio stood by the door until the adults had gone from their view, then turned and ran into the kitchen.

"I'm starving!" Cedric proclaimed, rubbing his stomach.

"You always are!" Ruby suddenly remembered the bad that her mother had given her and reluctantly went to fetch it. As much as she didn't want the others to see, she would have felt terrible if she didn't give them.

"What's that?" Erin pointed at the bag.

"Look for yourself." She grimaced as they peered into the bag. Cedric snorted with laughter as Erin giggled; pulling one out of the bag and making it hop around the table in the kitchen. Ruby cringed.

"How old are you?" Erin remarked.

"Shut up! Just eat them!"


	3. Diagon Alley

**This Changes Everything**

**Summary:** After it had happened, everything changed completely. Things were never going to return to how they were, how they should have been. Where were they going to go from here?

**Warnings:** I don't really know what rating this story is going to go up to, so I have rated it high to be sure. At the moment, only slight swearing, but could change. This story is AU, with OC characters, major and minor. Multiple pairings. R & R will be greatly appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** Nothing from the world of Harry Potter belongs to me, obviously. I am just a fan of the books and films. Only original characters are mine, everything else belongs to J.K Rowling. Also the name of this chapter isn't mine!

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**Chapter 3:Diagon Alley**

They had sent the four days since Ruby's arrival doing nothing in particular. She, Erin and Cedric had taken advantage of the hot weather and spent most of their time outside. That day, the weather was again bright and sunny.

Ruby woke up tangled in her bedsheets, and shielded her eyes from the sunlight pouring through the large window next to Erin's bed. Erin herself was still asleep, mumbling quietly to some unknown person. When Ruby listened carefully, she could make out the sound of Cedric's snores coming from the next room. Giggling, she made her bed and pulled on one of Erin's spare dressing gowns.

Padding along the thick carpet of landing, she made her way down the stairs and into the warm, inviting kitchen, where Margaret was making their breakfast. Yawning, she moved over to her bird's cage and watched Artemis sleeping in it. Beside her were Erin and Cedric's owls; Angel, Erin's gorgeous barn owl and Twitch, who was Cedric's 2 year old tawny owl.

Artemis had been a present from the Diggory family for her sixteenth birthday. Her other owl had died earlier that year and getting Artemis was one of her favourite gifts. She constantly spoilt her and let her go hunting.

"Are those two lazy kids up yet?" Margaret asked, just as Cedric let out a particularly loud snore, "Never mind. Could you go and wake them up for me? Or I'll burn their bacon." Ruby nodded and made her way back upstairs.

She decided to rouse Erin first, as she felt awkward going into Cedric's room without his sister. She hadn't been in there for a while. God knows how disgusting it had gotten; she shuddered at the thought of mouldy cups and dirty underwear strewn across the floor.

"Erin! Get up!" She shook the brunette forcefully.

"Go away!" she pulled the sheets back around herself and muttered into the pillow.

"Margaret is cooking breakfast; I'll just tell her you weren't hungry…" It worked. Erin was out of bed in a shot.

"We need to get your brother up as well."

"I have a plan. Follow me!" They crept out of the bedroom and slowly opened the door to Cedric's. Ruby was surprised; it actually wasn't as bad as she had expected it to be.

"On three, we jump. Ready? One, two…**THREE!**" They both launched themselves onto his sleeping form.

"Oof!" A muffled cry of pain escaped Cedric's lips as he was rudely awoken, "Whaddayawant?"

"Breakfast!" Erin replied in a sing-song voice. His reaction was much the same as his sister's.

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After breakfast, the three of them got washed and dressed, then pulled out their list of supplies that had been sent, notifying them of all new equipment that was needed for the new year at Hogwarts. Books, quills, ink, parchment, spell ingredients and new robes, as Cedric had outgrown his by over an inch over the summer.

"Diagon Alley?" They all nodded.

The train ride to Diagon Alley was fleeting and soon they had arrived outside The Leaky Cauldron.

"I bet we see bloody Dominic here!" Erin exclaimed fearfully.

"If you're lucky…" Ruby snickered, whilst they walked through to Diagon Alley. No sooner had their feet on the cobbled streets, than they heard a voice cry out;

"Erin. Over here!" She groaned audibly, and turned to see Dominic making his way over to them. She painted a fixed smile on her face whilst twisting around to utter pleadingly;

"Save me…."

"I'm so happy to see you. Come with me, we've got so much to catch up on!" They could hear him rambling as he dragged Erin into _Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour_.

"We'll meet you at_ Malkins_!" Ruby called out to her friend's back, "Just me and you. C'mon, I need to go to the bank."

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Once their stomach churning ride down to the Knight's vault- number 1091- had ended and Ruby had collected some money, she and her companion wandered out of the bank, struck by the bright light.

They made their way through the long, winding streets, occasionally shouting hellos and waving frantically at their friends. Often, they would peek over their shoulders to see a large group of third years trailing behind them, giggling and swooning. Cedric look embarrassed and motioned for Ruby to speed up. Unfortunately, so did the girls.

"They must have mistaken you for someone else," she teased, "Why would they be following you otherwise?" She noticed somebody walking past them, "Look Ced; it's your saviour. He's bound to grab their attention!" Cedric followed her gaze and nearly gasped in relief as he saw Harry Potter walking past them. The girls burst into a fresh round of giggles and in the blink of an eye, were hovering around the infamous wizard. He looked around helplessly.

"Quick, let's go!" Cedric nudged Ruby into _Madam Malkin's Robe For All Occasions_ and closed the door with a bang. The customers inside looked in their direction. To Ruby's dismay, she saw Draco Malfoy, the young, sneering, pale kid from the third year, having his robes adjusted. Unsurprisingly, his two friends, Crabbe and Goyle, were standing either side of him. Ruby hadn't failed to notice that Malfoy's "brave" streak only surfaced when those two boulders were poised beside him. Despite this, she couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive around him. He may have been young, but still managed frequently to humiliate seventh years on a daily basis.

The Slytherin turned to face the former fifth years with a disgusted look on his face.

"If it isn't Hufflepuff and his girlfriend shopping together." He drawled, "How… _endearing_." Cedric's cheeks flared with anger.

"Malfoy. I thought you would have conjured up a better insult than that by now. You have had three years. Perhaps your father knows some good ones; he's had his fair share of them. Maybe losing that Quidditch match numbed your brain. I'll go easier on you next time." He winked and smirked as Draco paid for the robes and angrily stomped out of the door.

"Thank god he's gone. That little brat takes after his father. Makes my job so hard. Not like you Master Diggory, although you go through robes quicker than any student I know! Another new set?" The shopkeeper, Madam Malkin, had made her way out of the storeroom and over to Cedric. He blushed at her comment and nodded, "Here put these on and I'll make some adjustments." He pulled the robes over his head and Madam Malkin began measuring, pinning, cutting and stitching the hems of the robes to size, "How are things in Hufflepuff, my dear? I remember my days there. Have they won anything yet?

"Not yet. But we're hoping to win the Quidditch Cup this year." Cedric informed her. Madam Malkin got up from her knees and patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm sure you will. I've heard you have your dad's talent for Seeking. All done!" Cedric handed the bundle of fabric to her and they headed over to the till, "That's 20 Galleons." Erin suddenly came barging in, red-faced and panting.

"That boy **never** gives up!" Struggling to regain her breath, she unexpectedly yelped in horror and dived behind a pile of robes as the aforementioned boy entered.

"Alright Ced! Have you seen Erin?" Erin began to signal desperately to Cedric.

"Um….no… I thought she was with you?"

"She was. I guess I'll have to keep looking." His mumbling slowly filtered away as he departed to continue his search. Erin sprang from her hiding place.

"FINALLY, PEACE! Let's go!"


End file.
